September 2, 2026 • 8 mins
The former CE of Fairlight is stepping back to start up her own businesses; she talks about how her current journey and what motivated her to start a new project.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, joining us on the country now from down in
the deep south, a woman who has been mentoring other
women in farming for, well, more than sort of half
a decade now, but is branching out into other avenues,
which will be no doubt fantastic to those who will
benefit from this.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Laura Coote. How are you, Laura?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
I'm much better now that I'm talking with you, Hamish.
It's been a long time.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Yeah, well, I saw you having a nice little session
with my good friend Ryan Bridge a few weeks ago. So,
you know, I thought it was high time that I
stepped up to the plate. I did love the hat
you were wearing. Tell me about the changes that are
ahead for you.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, it's been an amazing six years with the Fairlight Foundation.
I've loved everything we've built and grown there. But handing
the reins over to Christy Wright was exactly the right
decision for me and my family right now. And I
still am doing similar things, but just in my own way.
So I've set up two new businesses. The first one,
(01:00):
Vantage People, is helping workplaces grow. better communicate and get
better relationships with their team. And the second one is
the online Southern Girl Finishing School, where I mentor women
in a one-on-one or online capacity. I'm excited about both.
And of course, real country is still going strong. So
I'm still trying to convince people to come to the
(01:21):
farm and watch me share a sheep.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Watch you share a sheep and crack that whoop as
you do as well. So still very much a rural
bent to everything you're doing.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Absolutely. Well, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for
the rural community. Everything I love about my life is
because I live in a rural community. And all of
these things that I do is just basically anyone who
wants to get from where they are to where they
want to be, whether that's professionally or personally, that gap
(01:52):
is filled entirely with doing all the stuff that you
keep putting off. And everything I've set up is to
just help people close that gap.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
When I was talking to you in another life, and
it does feel like a lifetime ago, five or six,
seven years ago, and there were big things happening.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
There was COVID.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
It was tougher times down on the farm. There wasn't
the same sort of farm gate returns.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You know, the world looked pretty different.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I mean, how have you changed and what have you
seen change in those five or six years?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
I think the biggest thing for me, and every mum
will attest to this, having children is probably the biggest
change that happens to women. And being a mum, all
that's done is it's given me a laser focus. My
priorities are clear. I only put time and energy into
the exact things that I want to now because I
(02:43):
want to be hanging out and riding horses with my kids.
I want to be spending as much time with them
as possible. And, you know, the other thing that I've
learned is hard times happen all the time, but hard
people get through them. And I had so much support
when shit went wrong with COVID and the business and
me personally. And now me helping others is my way
(03:07):
of giving back. And I get a lot of satisfaction
from that. That to me is success. Helping other people
succeed to me is success.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah. When you say hard people, I think part of that.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Is also being soft on yourself a little bit too, right?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, you have to be, but that takes time and experience.
We are, particularly rurally, I think all raised to be
hard on the inside and hard on the outside, but
that is just not realistic. And I used to put
a lot of pressure on myself. And that pressure led
to all sorts of anxiety and stress and drama that
(03:44):
honestly was just taking a lot of energy. So I
have worked with professionals. I have worked on myself and
I have compiled all of these lessons into practical tools
to help others because you don't need to be where
you are right now. You can get to where you
want to, but you've got to do the uncomfortable work
to get there.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Practical tools to build women's confidence, right? Does that sort
of encapsulate a lot of what you do?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
A hundred percent. And I also went and became DISC accredited. Now,
DISC is a behavioural profiling tool. I did a little
bit of it in corporate as well as the Myers-Briggs and,
you know, the Colours and the TetraMAT. But the reason
I love DISC is it helps people understand how they
respond under pressure and And it gives people a language
(04:33):
to understand why they work the way that they do.
So personality test, it's not quite. It's actually a framework
that explains why two people see situations differently. And it
helps you actually adapt to get more out of every relationship,
both professionally and personally. And this is really underpinning a
(04:53):
lot of my mentorship at the moment because it's bloody
good stuff.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, fantastic. Fantastic. So we talk about with you, Laura Coote,
the boardroom, the bedroom, the back barn and all things
in between. I mean, you cover a lot of bases,
don't you?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, but that's life, isn't it? Like we're not all
in one box. We don't all just have our working personality.
We have our personal relationships. We have conversations that we
keep putting off. Some of us are great with finances.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Some are not.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Some of us are confident in the bedroom.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Some are not.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
And it all stems back to being a well-rounded individual,
whether you're male or female. So why not talk about
all of it? Why not teach all of it?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
So if I asked you right now, where are you
right now and what are you doing? Because I have
an inkling you might have been getting your hair done.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Like literally right now, I have my hair in foils
at Willow Society, the best hairdresser in New Zealand and Lumsden.
My kids are at Kindy just across the road at Lumsden.
I spend the day here. I'm on my computer. I'm
taking calls. I'm working on the fly. And then I'll
pick the kids up and we'll go jump on the horses.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
On the way home. Oh, outstanding. The hair and foils.
I mean, it's a look. It is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So you're very, let's talk just the rural community, farming,
the ag sector, the primary sector, the outlook. I feel
for the first time in a long time that there's
this sort of medium to long term hope, longevity, if
you like.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Isn't it incredible what an increase in land prices and
milk prices and things does, cross-bred wool prices does for
the industry? That is incredible in itself. But I think
over the last 10 years that I've been working in
this space, there has never been more work being done
on growing good people. Farmers have always grown good grass.
(06:50):
But there's more and more focus now on growing good people.
And when you grow good people, that then leeches positively
into the rest of the community. And I honestly, I
wouldn't cope if I wasn't part of a rural community.
Like I carpool with other rural mums to get our
kids to kindy because kindy is 45 minutes away. You
(07:10):
can't do that yourself every single day. We've got Fairlight
Station is putting on a road party on Friday night.
So all the farmers in the area are invited. Winter's
a tough time in Southland.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
It's brutal.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
It's isolating. It's, you know, long days and short days
at the same time because it's so dark. And so
the rural community constantly pulls together, constantly supports each other.
And when you get a little lift and a little
bit of positivity, it's like we just shoot for the
stars there and then. And Spring's in the air. We've
got lambs coming in. It's a good time to be
(07:47):
farming in Southland right now.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Too right, Laura Coote. We will catch up soon, my friend,
and no more promises, promises. We will do that.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
And thank you so much for joining us today on
The Country and all the best with the next great
moves you're making.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
We will talk again very soon. Thanks, Hamish.
Well, joining us on the country now from down in
the deep south, a woman who has been mentoring other
women in farming for, well, more than sort of half
a decade now, but is branching out into other avenues,
which will be no doubt fantastic to those who will
benefit from this.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Laura Coote. How are you, Laura?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
I'm much better now that I'm talking with you, Hamish.
It's been a long time.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Yeah, well, I saw you having a nice little session
with my good friend Ryan Bridge a few weeks ago. So,
you know, I thought it was high time that I
stepped up to the plate. I did love the hat
you were wearing. Tell me about the changes that are
ahead for you.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, it's been an amazing six years with the Fairlight Foundation.
I've loved everything we've built and grown there. But handing
the reins over to Christy Wright was exactly the right
decision for me and my family right now. And I
still am doing similar things, but just in my own way.
So I've set up two new businesses. The first one,
(01:00):
Vantage People, is helping workplaces grow. better communicate and get
better relationships with their team. And the second one is
the online Southern Girl Finishing School, where I mentor women
in a one-on-one or online capacity. I'm excited about both.
And of course, real country is still going strong. So
I'm still trying to convince people to come to the
(01:21):
farm and watch me share a sheep.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Watch you share a sheep and crack that whoop as
you do as well. So still very much a rural
bent to everything you're doing.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Absolutely. Well, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for
the rural community. Everything I love about my life is
because I live in a rural community. And all of
these things that I do is just basically anyone who
wants to get from where they are to where they
want to be, whether that's professionally or personally, that gap
(01:52):
is filled entirely with doing all the stuff that you
keep putting off. And everything I've set up is to
just help people close that gap.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
When I was talking to you in another life, and
it does feel like a lifetime ago, five or six,
seven years ago, and there were big things happening.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
There was COVID.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
It was tougher times down on the farm. There wasn't
the same sort of farm gate returns.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You know, the world looked pretty different.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I mean, how have you changed and what have you
seen change in those five or six years?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
I think the biggest thing for me, and every mum
will attest to this, having children is probably the biggest
change that happens to women. And being a mum, all
that's done is it's given me a laser focus. My
priorities are clear. I only put time and energy into
the exact things that I want to now because I
(02:43):
want to be hanging out and riding horses with my kids.
I want to be spending as much time with them
as possible. And, you know, the other thing that I've
learned is hard times happen all the time, but hard
people get through them. And I had so much support
when shit went wrong with COVID and the business and
me personally. And now me helping others is my way
(03:07):
of giving back. And I get a lot of satisfaction
from that. That to me is success. Helping other people
succeed to me is success.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah. When you say hard people, I think part of that.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Is also being soft on yourself a little bit too, right?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, you have to be, but that takes time and experience.
We are, particularly rurally, I think all raised to be
hard on the inside and hard on the outside, but
that is just not realistic. And I used to put
a lot of pressure on myself. And that pressure led
to all sorts of anxiety and stress and drama that
(03:44):
honestly was just taking a lot of energy. So I
have worked with professionals. I have worked on myself and
I have compiled all of these lessons into practical tools
to help others because you don't need to be where
you are right now. You can get to where you
want to, but you've got to do the uncomfortable work
to get there.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Practical tools to build women's confidence, right? Does that sort
of encapsulate a lot of what you do?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
A hundred percent. And I also went and became DISC accredited. Now,
DISC is a behavioural profiling tool. I did a little
bit of it in corporate as well as the Myers-Briggs and,
you know, the Colours and the TetraMAT. But the reason
I love DISC is it helps people understand how they
respond under pressure and And it gives people a language
(04:33):
to understand why they work the way that they do.
So personality test, it's not quite. It's actually a framework
that explains why two people see situations differently. And it
helps you actually adapt to get more out of every relationship,
both professionally and personally. And this is really underpinning a
(04:53):
lot of my mentorship at the moment because it's bloody
good stuff.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, fantastic. Fantastic. So we talk about with you, Laura Coote,
the boardroom, the bedroom, the back barn and all things
in between. I mean, you cover a lot of bases,
don't you?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, but that's life, isn't it? Like we're not all
in one box. We don't all just have our working personality.
We have our personal relationships. We have conversations that we
keep putting off. Some of us are great with finances.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Some are not.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Some of us are confident in the bedroom.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Some are not.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
And it all stems back to being a well-rounded individual,
whether you're male or female. So why not talk about
all of it? Why not teach all of it?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
So if I asked you right now, where are you
right now and what are you doing? Because I have
an inkling you might have been getting your hair done.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Like literally right now, I have my hair in foils
at Willow Society, the best hairdresser in New Zealand and Lumsden.
My kids are at Kindy just across the road at Lumsden.
I spend the day here. I'm on my computer. I'm
taking calls. I'm working on the fly. And then I'll
pick the kids up and we'll go jump on the horses.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
On the way home. Oh, outstanding. The hair and foils.
I mean, it's a look. It is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So you're very, let's talk just the rural community, farming,
the ag sector, the primary sector, the outlook. I feel
for the first time in a long time that there's
this sort of medium to long term hope, longevity, if
you like.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Isn't it incredible what an increase in land prices and
milk prices and things does, cross-bred wool prices does for
the industry? That is incredible in itself. But I think
over the last 10 years that I've been working in
this space, there has never been more work being done
on growing good people. Farmers have always grown good grass.
(06:50):
But there's more and more focus now on growing good people.
And when you grow good people, that then leeches positively
into the rest of the community. And I honestly, I
wouldn't cope if I wasn't part of a rural community.
Like I carpool with other rural mums to get our
kids to kindy because kindy is 45 minutes away. You
(07:10):
can't do that yourself every single day. We've got Fairlight
Station is putting on a road party on Friday night.
So all the farmers in the area are invited. Winter's
a tough time in Southland.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
It's brutal.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
It's isolating. It's, you know, long days and short days
at the same time because it's so dark. And so
the rural community constantly pulls together, constantly supports each other.
And when you get a little lift and a little
bit of positivity, it's like we just shoot for the
stars there and then. And Spring's in the air. We've
got lambs coming in. It's a good time to be
(07:47):
farming in Southland right now.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Too right, Laura Coote. We will catch up soon, my friend,
and no more promises, promises. We will do that.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
And thank you so much for joining us today on
The Country and all the best with the next great
moves you're making.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
We will talk again very soon. Thanks, Hamish.
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